This year’s winners of the so-called Children’s Nobel Prizes for children’s rights were James Aguer from Sudan and Maggy Barankitse from Burundi. Although the media call this prize the Children’s Nobel Prize, its proper name is The World´s Children´s Prize for the Rights of the Child, WCPRC. An honorary prize was also awarded to the Brazilian voluntary organisation Pastoral da Crianças, which has 155,000 volunteers who work to save the lives of disadvantaged children.
DNV in Sweden has been one of the sponsors of these prizes for several years. Among other things, DNV steers its money clear of routine Christmas cards and presents to customers and instead spends it on the Children’s Prizes.
”DNV is a wonderful partner for us,” says Magnus Bergmar, who is in charge of the WCPRC. ”DNV contributes to a better future for the world’s children and reduces the risk of children ending up in debt slavery or prostitution, which I think suits DNV’s profile and ambition to master different types of risk.”
Clear set of values
DNV has noticed that its sponsorship is appreciated by both its employees and customers and that it helps make visible DNV’s set of values relating to life, property and the environment. The head of DNV Sweden, Jahn Henry Løvaas, believes that DNV should be able to follow this initiative in other countries too.
”We see contributing to a better future for the world’s children as a way of achieving a better world,” says Jahn Henry Løvaas. ”The prizes could grow to be a large event and is an excellent way for DNV and other serious companies and organisations to collaborate on children’s rights. Children’s rights are a global future issue and, after all, DNV does have global operations.”
The UN Child Convention
The UN Convention on the rights of the child, also called the Child Convention, which dates from 1989, stipulates that all children have the right to survive and be given food, a home, hospital treatment, schooling and the opportunity to play. Children must also be protected from violence and abuse.
The Child Convention states that all decisions affecting a child must take into account what is best for the child. Article 19 of the Child Convention prohibits violence, both physical and mental, against children.
288,000 children
288,000 schoolchildren in 26 countries voted for James Aguer as one of the prize winners because he has saved thousands of kidnapped children thrown into forced labour in the Sudan. The other prize, which is awarded by an international children’s jury who have personal experience of child oppression, went to Maggy Barankitse from Burundi.
James Aguer has been imprisoned more than 30 times and several of his co-workers have died trying to liberate children in forced labour. Maggy Barankitse has helped provide at least 10,000 orphans with a home and schooling.
Nelson Mandela
HRM Queen Silvia of Sweden and South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela are among the patrons of the prizes. Honorary adult friends of the prizes include Sweden’s prime minister Göran Persson, East Timor’s president Xanana Gusmao, and Native American chief Oren Lyons, who is particularly in charge of safeguarding the rights of indigenous children.
This year’s prize amount comes to SEK 500,000 (approx. USD 55,000) and is to be used in the prize winners’ fight for children’s rights. Apart from DNV, Astra Zeneca and Cable & Wireless also sponsor the children’s prizes.
A number of humanitarian organisations also support these prizes. Read more about the prizes at www.childrensworld.org.